The choice is largely a matter of availability or personal preference, the price is about the same. Rubber hoses haven't changed significantly since the beginning of diving. Compared to rubber, the braided flex hoses (introduced in the early 2000's) are much lighter weight and much more flexible. Depending on hose lengths, a regulator setup using flex hoses is going to be about 2 pounds lighter than comparable rubber hoses. Some divers prefer the weight, but frequent flyers often choose flex over all other considerations when they want to travel as light as possible. Most divers in really cold water less than {50° F | 10° C} report the braided flex hoses perform much better than rubber.

Flex hoses are sometimes promoted as more durable than rubber and while true it is also irrelevant because you should replace your hoses every five years of service regardless. A few of the early flex hoses had an issue with the material of the inner lining, but that issue was addressed long ago and should not be a factor in your decision. Today, we can detect no difference in reliability for either material and we can also say that braided flex substantially outsells rubber. It's also worth pointing out that all our suppliers have now switched to braided flex hoses supplied with their regulators